Shepard Down
by xlifexisxbeautifulx
Summary: Who would have thought that Batarians would hold such a grudge?
1. Chapter 1

Jane Shepard felt rather than heard the gunshot pierce through her armor and straight through her stomach. At first, the look on Kaidan's face made her want to laugh. The sheer agony, his eyes wide in confusion and horror, his feet giving out on him. But then Jane realized how entirely not funny it was.

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Perfect for them. After the War, she was sent out to recover artifacts and documents. Kill off remaining Cerberus that threatened to start again.

She never thought that there would still be angry Batarians out for her.

So when she saw him come out around the corner, it was too late.

Hitting the ground hurt when you had a gunshot to your stomach. She briefly heard the scream from Kaidan and the harsh curse from Garrus as she lay gasping for air on the ground.

Even medi-gel couldn't fix it. This was serious. The blood wouldn't stop flowing. Jane wasn't sure if it was her or Kaidan sobbing over the gunfire reigning above her.

"SHEPARD'S DOWN. SHEPARD'S DOWN!" Garrus' voice rang loud through the air despite the loud bullets and gunfire. Jane gripped her stomach as her vision began to fade in and out.

"She's pregnant!"

Damn it. She wanted to surprise everyone.

Jane could hear Garrus' stutter from the ground. She laughed weakly as tears flowed down from her eyes and onto the ground.

"GET CHAKWAS AND HER TEAM READY!"

Suddenly, Kaidan was above her, grasping her hand tightly as his other hand pressed down on her wound, making her cry out in pain.

"It's okay. It's okay. Hang on. I love you Jane. It's okay."

Jane wanted to reassure him. Let him know that she was okay. But she wasn't. She faced down a reaper and was going to die from a damn bullet wound in her stomach.

Pathetic.

"Please.." She wasn't sure what she was pleading for. The life of her baby to live? Or...

To just let her die?

She didn't have to think for long, Jane lost consciousness within a few seconds, her last sight of Garrus and Kaidan grabbing her, yelling at her to stay awake.

Fat chance.

* * *

Should I make this a multi-chapter? Oh, decisions decisions.


	2. Chapter 2

Jane Shepard has caused the death of Kaidan Alenko in his mind at least four times that he can recall. The wild, kissable, thrill-seeking woman was someone you didn't fall in love with. She was a risk-taker. Someone who doesn't really care what happens to her.

And that is why he fell in love with her. And which is why Kaidan had more gray hairs than he could count. The woman just never seemed to stop with causing him heart failure and excruciating migraines.

But back to the four times that Kaidan felt his heart palpitate each time he thought Jane was going to get gravely injured, or at the very least, killed.

The battle with Saren, (or the defeat of Sovereign is what people like to call it) was the first. It was a grueling battle. Fighting in one of the most intense and important battles for the lives of humanity took a number on Kaidan at the time. Throwing a biotic move after move, the man was sure he was going to fry his amp out and die alongside Saren. He was sure Shepard would laugh her ass off at that happened. The woman was easily amused at the expense of others. At one point in the fighting, Jane had actually grinned at him while she brought out her shotgun and fired off a precise shot after shot. Kaidan almost wanted to trip her at that instant. How the hell could this woman be enjoying this?!

He really didn't think they would do it. Or at the very least, one of them would be killed. It seemed to be that way as the battle began to wind down. Shepard was winded, almost bending over to catch her breath. Wrex had taken a direct hit to the leg and could barely stand. Kaidan himself couldn't see straight from the buzzing of his biotics. He knew he was going to have a killer headache after this.

And when it did finally end, he had never felt such relief. But it was short lived. Seeing the crashing piece of Sovereign falling towards them had made his heart stop. Jane yelling for him and Wrex to go and then darkness. Being found by Anderson and seeing the destruction of the Citadel, Kaidan was sure Shepard was killed. The woman he had come to love piece by piece was gone.

And then the damn woman came limping around the corner with a smile on her face. End heart failure one.

He should have stayed on the Normandy. But Jane was a hard headed woman. She put others before her and that was what killed her. Opening that escape pod and finding a broken Joker inside made his heart stop once more. Of course she would have stayed behind. Of course she would have been left. Of course she would have, died. Damn woman. End heart failure two.

Nobody expected Shepard to live through the Reaper wars. Nobody really expected the races to win throughout the world. While it was in the back of their minds, nobody expressed it. Nobody wanted their to be any hint of doubt voiced. After all, the good guys always win, right? So when they had their chances, Kaidan kissed her with just a bit more passion. He made love to her as long and sweet as he could. And when he fucked her, he fucked her like they were the only people alive in the planet. They made sure to make every moment last. Every touch meant something more to the pair. And when he was forced to say goodbye to her, not once but twice, Kaidan didn't feel his heart stop. He knew. It broke his heart, but it didn't stop. He was used to losing her. They never said that it was going to be a sure thing. Talking of future plans was never set in stone. It was a silly dream.

But when Kaidan came across a badly burned hand leading to a barely breathing woman, Kaidan felt his heart stop once more. The disfigured Shepard lay on top of rocks, struggling to keep herself alive.

Since the War, Jane and Kaidan had decided to further advance their relationship. Talk of marriage was between them but the thought of settling down never was broached between the two. They were military people. Fighting was instilled in them.

But Shepard getting pregnant? That was never part of the plan. Even after her death, the thought of having children was erased from the picture. Kaidan was okay with that. He had found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And with many orphaned children since the War, the couple had decided to adopt a few in the future.

But they were thrilled with the news. Kaidan knew before her. With the way her energy seemed to be decreasing rapidly and the two terrifying fainting spells that happened. Once on the ship and another on a mission. Thankfully it was just a routine mission. Picking up cargo to deliver back to the Citadel. Once the news had been delivered, Kaidan had witnessed something he never would have thought was possible.

He witnessed his lover cry.

While the extent of being an orphan never really seemed to affect Jane, Kaidan assumed that she didn't care. But witnessing the tears that never seemed to cease roll from her eyes, Kaidan knew otherwise.

The mission was supposed to be simple. They were supposed to kill off remaining Cerberus who were stupid enough to try and continue the organization. When those shots fired at Jane, seeing her drop to the ground, Kaidan felt his heart stop. All that kept running through his mind was the baby. The baby that Jane wanted so desperately. That she had cried heartbreaking tears for. Two months into the pregnancy and Kaidan knew how in love Jane was with the child. Because he was too. They created somebody. A miracle child.

"JANE! PLEASE!"

Watching her body lay lifeless on the med bay bed made Kaidan feel like his world was drowning. All the color was fading away and he just sat there.

And all he did was watch.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since the incident. A week since the crew had found out that their Commander was pregnant. A week since they almost lost her.

Everything was tense between each member of the Normandy crew. Joker wisely kept his jokes to himself. James nearly beat his punching bag into a pile of sand. Garrus barely slept; spending time calibrating the guns, time and time again. Liara held herself up in her office. Tali never strayed from her spot in engineering.

And Kaidan? The man never left the Med bay. Nobody knew the situation of their Commander. They didn't know if she was going to be okay. Or if the baby was going to live. The only time they ever saw Kaidan was when he left to go up to Shepard's cabin. Nobody really knew what to say to the man. What could they? Hey, sorry your girlfriend is going to lose their baby, here's a fruitcake to drown your sorrows in?

They knew hey had to do something. If they lost Shepard, they lost Kaidan. Shepard was their beacon of hope. Their everything. And when she dies, so will a little part of them.

Garrus was the first to confront Kaidan. It didn't end well.

"Major, have time to talk?" The Turian never really understood the relationship between the Major and the Commander. They never outwardly expressed their feelings. But Garrus respected that. They didn't need to show off their love to know they were committed to one another. It was the way Shepard let her eyes linger just a little bit longer on Kaidan after a mission debrief. It was the way Kaidan tightened his jaw whenever Shepard was in a tight spot. It was the way Kaidan always watched her on the screens and comms each time she took someone else on a hard mission.

Their love was eternal.

"Uh, Garrus. I was just-." The man gestured to the small mound of feminine clothes in his hand. No doubt they were for Shepard. The Turian nodded but didn't move aside. Kaidan glanced at him curiously. The man look run down. Dark circles rested under his eyes. His uniform seemed to almost hang on the man. He look awful. And Garrus finally knew the extent of Shepard's condition.

"The baby is gone, isn't it?" Garrus spoke softly, not really realizing it. By Kaidan's tightening jaw and clenched fists, Garrus knew he was right. "Alenko..we're-."

"The baby is fine. It's Shepard who isn't. She..she just won't wake up. And...if she goes through with this pregnancy, there's a chance the baby may have a deformity. Or major brain damage. She could hemorrhage when she goes into labor. And..I can't make a decision because it's not mine to make. She..she just won't wake up.."

"She will Major. Shepard is a fighter. She's always made it through-." The only thing Garrus was prepared for was the dropping of the clothes, not the hard punch sent against the wall, Kaidan's biotics ripping through the ship.

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW? BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS HAS YOU BY HER SIDE? YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW ANYTHING! SHE DOESN'T WANT TO WAKE UP. SHE DOESN'T WANT TO BE ALIVE.." Kaidan's yelling brought out the main crew. All of them stood around the pair with shocked and depressed faces. James moved forward quickly, along with Liara to break up the one-sided fight.

"Kaidan, stop. It's okay. Please calm down. It's all going to be okay." Liara spoke quietly, her own biotics rippling as she placed a hand on his back. The man instantly let his shoulders drop, he nodded once as he exhaled heavily.

"Yeah L2. You gotta keep it together. Lola would lose her shit if she found out you almost blew a hole in her ship." James cracked a smirk, trying to lighten the mood. But Kaidan paid him no heed. James let the smirk drop instantly.

All of a sudden, the Medical bay doors opened and Doctor Chakwas stepped out, a grim smile on her face. "The Commander is awake. Unfortunately, she became hysterical, endangering her already delicate condition. She's heavily sedated now. But she should awake in just a few hours. You all are more than welcome to see her. I must ask only one person at a time."

It was without a question that Kaidan be the one to be there when she awoke. Silently gathering Shepard's clothes back in his arms, Kaidan nodded once, muttering a soft thanks to the crew before stepping inside the Med bay, Chakwas giving a small smile to the remaining crew, and disappeared behind the closed doors.

So began the waiting game.

* * *

AN: Oh geez. I'm soooo sorry for the wait! I PROMISE I'll be more frequent with my updates! There should only be one or two more chapters left. Thank you for the reviews and the favorites! I greatly appreciate them all and they make my day!

Stay tuned for more!


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